Sporadic entries from me, Brooke, about my family life. Entertaining or not, its who I am, and I enjoy documenting things about our lives and also doing random product reviews. You never know what you're going to find here!

Friday, October 11, 2013

preparing for a birthday celebration.

Holy crap, my baby is almost a year old. Where did this past year go? No seriously, what happened? I say this in every post, but I just can't believe how fast time has gone. I am just in awe of our daughter every minute of every day. She has grown so fast, and is learning so much. She amazes me with something new every day. I love watching her learn and grow and discover new things. I am so lucky and so blessed to be her mommy, and call her mine.

Ava is currently napping in her room. I have just finished purchasing party decorations from Oriental Trading and figuring out the menu for her party. I decided to forgo paper invitations this year. It isn't going to be a huge party. Immediate family and a few close friends. We are doing a nice cake with an owl theme. I was going to get all crafty and make the decorations, but I just don't have the time or money to put into purchasing all the supplies I need. It was cheaper to buy ready made stuff. We have decided on a lighter menu with fruit tray, cheese balls/crackers, chips/dip, frozen grapes and meatballs in bbq sauce. This is basically the menu we did at our wedding reception, minus the chocolate fountain, haha. Since Josh is still the only one working, we are on a tight budget. Ava still isn't crawling. She just won't get up on those knees. I've searched YouTube videos on how to help her learn to crawl. I've put her tummy on my thigh to get her used to being on her knees and she just cries. I've tried the towel under her belly to help get her up and she cries. I spoke with the dr at her 9 month check up about it, and she didn't seem concerned, but we have been trying with her for 2.5 months and aren't making any progress. She will pull up to her feet on my body, but won't really get up on her feet while pulling up on anything else, she will just sit on her knees if she is in the pack n play. If she is sitting in the floor she won't pull up on anything. I've tried different exercises with her to strengthen her core. Maybe she's just lazy.I'm also debating on getting her the flu shot this year. I have it scheduled already, but now I'm second guessing our decision. I want to talk to Josh more about it. I've read about some of the ingredients that are in it, and I'm just not so sure anymore. It's a lot to take in. I have only had one in my life and it was right after I had Ava. I was about to be discharged from the hospital and a pushy nurse came in and really pushed it on me and guilted me into it saying I was "putting my child's life at risk by not getting it for myself". I was an emotional wreck, so of course I did it. I didn't want anyone to think I was a bad mom for not doing everything I could to protect my child, but the more I think about it, we put our child at risk every time we jump into a car.

Picture time - photos from our beach trip, and a cute one of Ava eating eggs and toast :)

Hi! I'm Brooke. I'm just a small town girl from Tennessee. I'm married to Josh, and I'm a stay at home mom to our baby girl, Ava. I also have a YouTube Channel that I would love for you to subscribe to. I typically talk about just day to day life, but I also love to do product reviews and talk about anything mommy and baby related. I've also just jump-started a bit of a lifestyle change for our family starting in 2015. We've started making healthier choices, and started using Young Living Essential Oils. I have a Facebook Page that I would love for you to "Like" so you can keep up with me and how I'm using my oils.